h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

twenty six degrees forecast today.

We are already resorting to watering the patio plants - whatever happened to April showers? The soil is as dry as dust here, and normally it is waterlogged at this time of year.


I like the sun, but I think we are really going to struggle with lack of water unless it rains substantially in the near future.

Yes it's really worrying me since I made my pond last July. I initially filled it up with tap water..but then through research discovered the tap water in London is very high in nitrates and phosphates; it will lead to a pond choked with blanket weed...and will in no way reflect the kind of pond ecosystem you'd get naturally. So I made the puritanical decision to always let it get filled naturally with rain water.

I continue with research about what to do if your pond dries up because this can happen naturally of course. I'll need to rescue as many creatures as possible and my starwort weed when it gets to about one inch in depth..and put them in a bucket in the shade.

I cannot remember a drier period here in the south east since I built the pond.

Its the weirdest thing because yes I also like the sun. All my life I've welcomed this kind of climate rather than the endless westerlies..and now it gives me so much grief as I fear for the pond.

In nootoo I'd like to make an entry about this...but it'll depend on what the new guidelines are as it really needs to be in the first person I think..but interspersed with third person.

Oh and second person

get a water butt and when its full of rain water, use it to top up the pond in dry spells

I have two Taff, I bought them explicitly for the pond. They never even reached one third full all winter. I expected to have to use them in summer..but they are now nearly empty. Unfortunately it isn't possible to connect them to the down drain pipe because mine are ancient thick metal victorian things.

I've got five of the things, two on the house, two on the garage and one I've hooked up to the sump pump outflow. They always end up overflowing, it seems. Of course, I haven't actually got them all connected to their water sources yet as yesterday evening . . .






. . . it was snowing again!

here, shame about your

Put out lots of chilli powder around the young kale and tiny chard seedlings in the veg patch. Foxes have been digging holes and pooing in their vicinity; I was awoken last night by a vixen screeching for a good few minutes. The pond attracts the foxes..and with all this lack of rain they will be getting desperate.

I hope the chilli will put them off digging them up.

foxes and chili?????

look out for some seriously runny fox poo!!!!

Chilli worked great last night. Have put out various shaped containers with tap water. One nice deep one for foxes..and an old lid which acts as a bird bath.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13160841

Something's wrong somewhere.

Many years ago Mexico City responded to the air pollution there by instituting a policy restricting all private cars to being allowed to be driven on only six days of each week. Everyone was issued with a little sticker which indicated which day their vehicle was required to be parked. This rule also included rental cars, so tourists had to comply as well. Having rented a car in Mexico City and having had to plan by exit and return to the City around that sticker, I didn't find it much (any) inconvenience. Mexico City has quite a good public transit system, so it really didn't seem like a big deal.

London's Tube gives quite a bit better coverage than does Mexico City's subway system (as I remember them), so I would think a similar sort of vehicular restriction could be as workable in London. Has there been any talk of such a thing?

Finally had a bit of rain..incredibly hot day and then a thunder storm..that's more like it.

A good news weather story here today:



'Heavy snow extends Alberta ski season'




Of course, there's a dark side as well:

'Avalanche risk high in many areas this weekend'



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/story/2011/04/30/ab-snow-ski-avalanche.html